1988 Saab 900 5 speed questions

I recently got a 1988 Saab 900 5 speed 163k miles for free. It has been
sitting for over a year but it started up with a fresh battery and some
fresh gas. I was told by the owner that the cluth was bad and needed to be
replaced. After getting it warmed up, I tried to get it to move in 1st gear
but the shifter keeps popping out of gear. If I hold it in place, I can
move about 3 feet then it feels like the car is hitting a rubber wall and
will bounce back when I depress the clutch. I assume that there is some
busted up gear or part that is jamming up the tranny internally and that is
causing all my problems. It seems to have the same symptoms in all
gears/reverse.

What are my options? Should I look for a used tranny from a junkyard? Is
there a rebuild kit available? Is it worth messing with this car? It runs
really smooth and appears to be all there. The body is in great shape and
in interior is good too. Just needs some transmission TLC I think.

Any input would be appreciated.

De

Where are you located?

If it pops out of gear, the first thing I would check is the motor
mounts. If the engine rocks around too much, it can jerk it out of gear.
Is it a Turbo? They have hydraulic mounts which are more susceptible
to that. The NA cars are not as troublesome, but this can be the
problem. If it is in the tranny, it is a big job.

KeithG

De wrote:
> I recently got a 1988 Saab 900 5 speed 163k miles for free. It has been
> sitting for over a year but it started up with a fresh battery and some
> fresh gas. I was told by the owner that the cluth was bad and needed to be
> replaced. After getting it warmed up, I tried to get it to move in 1st gear
> but the shifter keeps popping out of gear. If I hold it in place, I can
> move about 3 feet then it feels like the car is hitting a rubber wall and
> will bounce back when I depress the clutch. I assume that there is some
> busted up gear or part that is jamming up the tranny internally and that is
> causing all my problems. It seems to have the same symptoms in all
> gears/reverse.
>
> What are my options? Should I look for a used tranny from a junkyard? Is
> there a rebuild kit available? Is it worth messing with this car? It runs
> really smooth and appears to be all there. The body is in great shape and
> in interior is good too. Just needs some transmission TLC I think.
>
> Any input would be appreciated.
>
> De
>
>